Written Answers

Monday 30 October 2000

Scottish Executive

Autistic Children

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the work of the Higashi school for autistic children in Boston, USA and, if so, whether it intends to make any changes to educational provision for autistic children in Scotland.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No such examination has been carried out.

Bereavement Care

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance is given to Cruse Scotland.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has awarded revenue grant funding of £28,097, under section 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, to Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland for each of the years 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Bridges

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board report to it annually; what the cost to its budget would be if, in the current three-year spending cycle, tolls on (a) the Forth Road Bridge and (b) the Tay Road Bridge were removed and existing maintenance commitments honoured, and whether it will identify for each bridge any other costs which would be involved in removing tolls.

Sarah Boyack: The Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge Joint Boards do not report to the Scottish Executive. The boards publish annual accounts, which may contain some of the information sought. The Executive is not aware of the future expenditure plans of the Joint Boards nor if the boards have estimates of any costs associated with cessation of tolling.

  The Executive has not considered any matters relating to the cessation of tolling, including in particular on which bodies and budgets the responsibility for maintenance, management and operation of the bridges would fall.

Cancer

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether new equipment being acquired for cancer treatment will be purchased or leased.

Susan Deacon: In June I announced that the first wave of the linear accelerator replacement programme totalling £5.8 million was complete. This followed a central procurement initiative for the purchase of four linear accelerators and three simulators.

  The decision to purchase the equipment followed economic and value for money appraisals. The future procurement of equipment will also be subject to this central procurement and value for money assessment process.

Climate Change Levy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the public sector is affected by the proposed Climate Change Levy (CCL); whether it took the impact of the CCL into account when arriving at the recent local authority financial settlement and, if so, what criteria were applied.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Climate Change Levy will apply to all public and private sector organisations. It is intended to encourage organisations to become more energy efficient. It would be counter-productive to meet the cost of the levy on local authorities. However, there will be an opportunity for CoSLA to discuss this as part of the local government finance settlement consultations if they wish.

Community Care

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many home help clients there were in each local authority area in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Iain Gray: The following table shows numbers at 31 March 1997, 1998 and 1999. Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1996, figures are only available on the basis of the old local authorities. Figures for 1998 and 1999 cover clients who receive home care purchased or provided by local authorities, whereas figures for 1997 only include home care provided directly by local authorities.

  


Local Authority


1997


1998


1999




Aberdeen City


4,053


4,391


4,766




Aberdeenshire


2,306


2,384


2,041




Angus


1,885


1,878


1,867




Argyll & Bute


1,033


1,032


950




Clackmannanshire


710


586


601




Dumfries & Galloway


1,869


2,075


1,880




Dundee City


3,762


3,240


2,978




East Ayrshire


1,936


1,512


1,398




East Dunbartonshire


1,275


1,207


1,010




East Lothian


1,456


1,408


1,196




East Renfrewshire


826


881


820




Edinburgh, City of


7,839


7,719


7,261




Eilean Siar


1,126


1,000


870




Falkirk1


2,717


2,693


2,420




Fife


9,272


8,167


7,491




Glasgow City


12,425


11,258


10,048




Highland


3,104


2,946


2,999




Inverclyde


1,598


1,314


1,311




Midlothian


1,307


1,253


1,253




Moray


1,045


1,161


1,163




North Ayrshire


2,327


2,167


1,696




North Lanarkshire


2,140


3,133


2,999




Orkney Islands


385 


376


492




Perth & Kinross


1,490


1,425


1,479




Renfrewshire


2,672


2,762


2,505




Scottish Borders


1,986


1,563


1,576




Shetland Islands


538 


527


514




South Ayrshire


1,734


1,485


1,199




South Lanarkshire


4,047


2,924


2,773




Stirling


1,240


1,427


930




West Dunbartonshire


1,641 


1,699


1,760




West Lothian


1,872 


1,926 


1,812 




SCOTLAND


83,616 


79,519 


74,058 




  Source: SEHD Community Care Statistics, H1 Return.

  Notes:

  1. 1997 figure for Falkirk is estimated.

Culture

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding tax incentives to maintain and encourage creative artists in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: Issues related to tax are a reserved matter.

Culture

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide assistance through grants or incentives to the acting profession.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Arts Council provides a range of schemes to support theatrical activity throughout Scotland.

Disabled People

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that disabled people have continued access to support and advisory services provided by Disability Scotland.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is in contact with the interim Administrator who has been appointed by Disability Scotland. We are currently considering his report and the best way forward in ensuring that the interests of people with a disability are properly represented and that they receive the support and advice they require.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects or programmes it funds which work with men who have used domestic violence in the past or consider that they risk doing so in the future and what the current level of funding is of each.

Jackie Baillie: Various programmes are provided in prison and in the community by Criminal Justice Social Work Services to assist offenders convicted of or at risk of committing domestic violence. The Executive currently funds two projects specifically focused on offenders convicted of domestic violence. These are in Edinburgh/Midlothian (£153,833 for the current financial year) and Angus Council (£25,625). Projects or programmes which deal with men not in custody or under order of the court are a matter for local initiatives although they may attract support from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund. Two awards have been made in support of projects of this kind amounting to £29,900 in total.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the money allocated to the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund has been committed to programmes working with men.

Jackie Baillie: An award of £13,800 was made to the Edinburgh Domestic Violence Probation Programme, which works with abusive men. This money was match funded by Edinburgh City Council and is to be used to employ a Partner Worker to provide information, advice and support to the partners of violent men currently taking part in the programme.

  An award of £16,100 was made to Falkirk Council/Stirling Council/Clackmannan Council in support of a 20-week groupwork programme addressing male abusive behaviour. This money is to be used to provide a support worker for women whose partners are undergoing rehabilitation.

  This represents 2% of the money allocated to the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities on projects they fund through the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund regarding funding of projects working with men.

Jackie Baillie: All local authorities received the same application guidance for the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund regardless of the nature of the project they wished to support. No specific guidance was issued regarding the funding of projects working with men.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to prevent any possibility of the Violence Intervention Programme closing due to lack of funding.

Jackie Baillie: The Violence Intervention Programme is a local group. The Scottish Executive does not provide core funding for local groups, this is the responsibility of local authorities.

Education

Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail, broken down by local authority, (a) the capital expenditure and (b) the revenue expenditure allocated to education in each year from 1979 to 1999.

Peter Peacock: The information available on capital allocations is given in the tables below which cover financial years 1979-80 to 1995-96. From financial year 1996-97 specific programme allocations were replaced with a single allocation covering all the non-housing capital programmes.

  For revenue, the information requested is given in the publication Grant Aided Expenditure for the financial years 1982-83 to 2000-01, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Earlier years are not available. The Bib. numbers are as follows:

  Year   Bib. No   Year   Bib. No   Year   Bib. No 1982-83   8441   1989-90   8448   1995-96   8453 1983-84   8442   1990-91   8449   1996-97   8454 1984-85   8443   1991-92   8450   1997-98   8455 1985-86   8444   1992-93   8451   1998-99   8140 1986-87   8445   1993-94   8452   1999-00   3274 1987-88   8446   1994-95   8464   2000-01   7912 1988-89   8447

  Capital Consent Allocations for Educational Building (£000)

  


Authority


1979-80


1980-81


1981-82


1982-83


1983-84


1984-85


1985-86


1986-87


1987-88




Borders


925


1,262


1,385


640


715


730


720


780


1,090




Central


3,230


2,474


1,950


1,175


1,105


1,045


1,395


1,870


2,970




Dumfries Galloway


1,540


1,719


1,510


1,965


2,310


2,105


1,895


1,810


1,295




Fife


3,495


2,693


2,350


1,535


1,255


2,320


3,885


5,665


4,080




Grampian


8,405


8,244


10,135


7,865


7,335


6,490


7,330


4,100


3,345




Highland


2,155


2,096


3,190


2,525


1,095


660


1,145


1,015


2,840




Lothian


9,840


11,088


10,390


8,765


6,935


3,905


5,955


4,525


6,415




Strathclyde


19,440


18,663


18,000


16,020


19,080


16,900


19,695


16,250


19,450




Tayside


2,130


1,610


1,985


1,580


1,115


2,130


2,980


1,665


3,290




Orkney


125


637


740


1,055


930


1,005


1,155


1,110


960




Shetland


1,715


2,981


2,915


3,715


2,750


1,855


855


980


805




Western Isles


605


607


1,665


1,660


1,030


1,165


1,665


4,510


4,300




  Notes:

  1. Within the total capital allocations made to authorities, allocations for specific programmes are advisory and do not restrict expenditure to that figure.

  2. The allocations for educational building include elements for further education for 1979-80 to 1992-93, and community education from 1985-86 onwards.

  3. As from 1996-97 authorities are given a single annual allocation covering all their non-housing capital programmes. An advisory allocation for educational building is not separately identified.

  Capital Consent Allocations for Educational Buildings (£000)

  


Authority


1988-89


1989-90


1990-91


1991-92


1992-93


1993-94


1994-95


1995-96




Borders


1,300


1,275


2,457


3,453


2,939


2,361


1,934


1,605




Central


3,935


3,195


3,569


3,914


3,766


3,926


5,186


5,284




Dumfries & Galloway


1,740


1,855


2,346


3,010


2,990


3,300


3,241


3,048




Fife


4,465


6,405


6,626


5,530


5,484


4,815


5,205


5,376




Grampian


4,155


5,425


6,124


8,303


6,483


7,797


6,739


6,753




Highland


3,745


3,485


2,828


3,849


4,622


4,010


3,795


3,206




Lothian


7,595


7,975


6,365


6,918


11,280


10,420


9,026


8,292




Strathclyde


20,995


23,935


22,790


28,561


28,325


26,062


27,285


26,449




Tayside


3,260


4,145


3,837


3,956


4,670


3,928


4,429


5,052




Orkney


1,160


1,080


1,203


765


1,069


927


1,302


1,005




Shetland


1,030


845


996


1,754


2,263


2,000


1,724


1,476




Western Isles


2,435


2,135


2,528


3,278


2,858


1,943


1,623


1,712




  Notes:

  1. Within the total capital allocations made to authorities, allocations for specific programmes are advisory and do not restrict expenditure to that figure.

  2. The allocations for educational building include elements for further education for 1979-80 to 1992-93, and community education from 1985-86 onwards.

  3. As from 1996-97 authorities are given a single annual allocation covering all their non-housing capital programmes. An advisory allocation for educational building is not separately identified.

Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9838 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 28 September 2000, whether it will make it a duty of the Minister for Children and Education to collect centrally information regarding swimming instruction for primary school pupils.

Mr Sam Galbraith: No.

Elderly People

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Ministers have met organisations representing older people since the establishment of the Parliament to discuss cases of alleged age discrimination in the NHS and, if so, which Ministers.

Iain Gray: I have regular meetings with organisations representing the interests of older people at both national and local level, and discuss a wide range of issues with them. Specific cases of alleged age discrimination in the NHS have not been raised by those bodies at any of these meetings.

Elderly People

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend 24 hour support for the elderly in their homes or in sheltered housing.

Iain Gray: Our plans for the development of home care were announced by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 5 October.

Elderly People

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any shortfall in the number of residential care places currently available for the elderly; whether it has any plans to make additional resources available to finance any extra places and how will it ensure that places are available to those requiring extended nursing and personal care.

Iain Gray: The most recent information available does not indicate an overall shortfall in the number of residential and nursing home places for older people. As announced, we are making considerable additional resources available to local authorities. It is for these authorities to determine whether they require to purchase additional places rather than some other forms of care.

Enterprise

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to meet with Scotia Holdings to discuss any implications for their Breasclete plant, Isle of Lewis, in the light of the US Food and Drug Administration not giving approval to the anti-cancer drug Foscan.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: I met with Scotia Pharmaceuticals Limited on Thursday 28 September 2000 and discussed several business issues relating to the company.

European Convention on Human Rights

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government on why Articles 1 and 13 of the ECHR, which deal with the securing and enforcement of citizens rights, were not included in the Human Rights Act 1998 which came into force on 2 October 2000 and whether this will have any implications for the legal and court system in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. Article 1 provides simply that the contracting parties to the Convention "shall secure to everyone within their jurisdiction the rights and freedoms defined in section 1 of this Convention". That objective is achieved by the Human Rights Act itself. Article 13 provides that anyone whose Convention rights and freedoms are violated shall have an effective remedy before a national authority. The Human Rights Act gives effect to Article 13 by establishing a scheme under which Convention rights can be raised before domestic courts, and remedies given. Nevertheless, Scottish and other UK courts may have regard to the case law on Article 13 in considering cases brought before them.

  There are no specific and distinctive implications for the legal and court system in Scotland by comparison with the rest of the UK.

Finance

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of those small departments, non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which it is responsible and what allocation of revenue and capital support each of these bodies received in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Mr Jack McConnell: The relevant information is set out below:

  


NDPB/Agency


1997-98
outturn
£ million
(cash)


1998-99
outturn
£ million
(cash)


1999-2000
provisional outturn
£ million
(cash)



 

Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap




Scottish Agricultural Science Agency


4.9


0.8


4.8


0.6


4.5


1.0




Fisheries Research Services Agency


13.2


11.0


13.5


1.8


14.0


1.5




Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency


11.3


0.3


11.7


0.6


12.6


0.3




Royal Botanic Garden


4.8


0.3


4.9


0.3


4.8


0.6




Crofters Commission


2.1


N/A


2.2


N/A


2.1


N/A




Deer Commission


0.8


N/A


0.8


0.1


0.8


-




SABRIs 


25.1


2.2


25.3


1.3


25.8


2.1




CalMac


10.5


9.7


14.4


9.1


17.31


11.11




HIAL


5.1


1.9


5.5


0.7


9.81


2.91




Scottish Prison Service


154.2


22.1


163.4


23.7


189.8


28.9




Scottish Court Service


40.2


15.6


37.4


11.0


44.5


11.5




National Galleries for Scotland


7.3


1.0


7.9


0.4


8.8


1.8




National Library of Scotland


9.7


2.1


9.7


2.1


9.7


.1




National Museum of Scotland


11.4


12.6


14.0


8.2


14.2


2.2




Scottish Arts Council


27.1


N/A


27.2


N/A


30.2


N/A




Scottish Screen (previously Scottish 
Film Council)


2.0


N/A


1.8


N/A


2.2


N/A




Royal Commission on the Ancient and 
Historical Monuments of Scotland


2.9


0.1


2.6


0.2


2.8


0.3




Sports Scotland


8.2


1.7


8.5


1.6


11.4


4.0




Royal Fine Art Commission of Scotland


0.2


N/A


0.3


N/A


0.2


N/A




  


NDPB/Agency


1997-98
outturn
£ million


1998-99
outturn
£ million


1999-2000
provisional outturn
£ million







Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap




Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration


10.8


0.4


11.7


0.3


12.0


1.4




Historic Scotland


14.4


17.4


13.4


18.6


13.3


18.6




Learning and Teaching Scotland (previously 
SCET and SCCC)


2.9


N/A


2.8


N/A


2.9


N/A




Community Learning Scotland (previously 
SCEC)


0.6


N/A


0.6


N/A


0.9


N/A




Scottish Museums Council


0.8


N/A


0.9


N/A


1.1


N/A




Scottish Public Pensions Agency


4.6


0.3


5.1


0.4


4.8


0.4




Scottish Homes


50.4


267.5


47.2


285.7


52.8


222.7




National Board for Nursing, Midwifery 
and Health Visiting for Scotland


4.6


0.0


3.2


0.0


3.2


0.0




Scottish Hospital Endowment Research 
Trust


N/A


N/A


N/A


N/A


N/A


N/A




Mental Welfare Commission


1.4


0.0


1.3


0.0


1.5


N/A




Student Awards Agency for Scotland


307.9


-19.24


295.3


-4.34


215.2


182.5




Scottish Higher Education Funding 
Council


495.2


56.5


507.1


24.8


590.1


11.5




Scottish Further Education Funding 
Council


286.5


4.6


281.5


10.0


313.1


16.3




Scottish Qualifications Authority


1.5


0.0


1.3


0.0


1.4


0.0




Scottish Further Education Unit


0.7


0.0


0.7


0.0


0.7


0.0




Scottish Enterprise


316.8


90.8


302.9


88.8


262.0


111.2




Highlands and Islands Enterprise


41.2


21.7


35.5


28.0


38.2


27.2




Scottish Tourist Board


19.3


0.0


20.5


0.0


19.4


0.0




Parole Board for Scotland


0.3


N/A


0.4


N/A


0.4


N/A




Scottish Conveyancing and Executry 
Services Board


0.2


N/A


0.1


N/A


0.1


N/A




Scottish Legal Aid Board


142.52


0.4


136.3


0.3


124.7


1.0




Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission


N/A


N/A


0.2


N/A


0.5


N/A




East of Scotland Water3


56.0


-


54.7


-


80.5


-




West of Scotland Water3


62.6


-


71.4


-


95.4


-




North of Scotland 
Water3


48.7


-


46.5


-


46.0


-




Scottish Environmental 
Protection Agency


23.4


N/A


20.3


N/A


18.7


N/A




Scottish Natural 
Heritage


38.8


N/A


35.4


N/A


38.0


N/A




Scottish Water and Sewerage Customers 
Council


1.1


N/A


1.1


N/A


0.6


N/A




Water Industry Commissioner


N/A


N/A


N/A


N/A


0.4


N/A




  Notes:

  1. Provisional outturn since Appropriation Accounts not yet signed off.

  2. Includes expenditure on the Scottish Legal Aid Fund.

  3. Water Authority External Financing Limit.

  4. The figures for student awards reflect receipts for the sale of the student loan portfolio.

  - Indicates that the cell includes expenditure that would round to 0.0

  


Body


1997-98
outturn
£ million


1998-99
outturn
£ million


1999-2000
provisional outturn
£ million



 

Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap


Cur.


Cap




GROS


7,309


776


7,156


581


7,905


342




NAS


4,513


1,022


3,552


341


3,969


801

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by hospital of all settlements, in or out of court, which have been made further to legal action being taken against hospitals in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.

Susan Deacon: The following tables provide details of settled medical negligence claims for the Trusts in the Glasgow area for 1994-95 to 1998-99 (pre-Trust reconfiguration) and for the period 1999-2000.

  Pre-Trust Reconfiguration 1994-95 to 1998-99

  


Trust


No. of Claims


Cost of Awards




Glasgow Royal Infirmary


8


£18,398




Southern General Hospital


8


£43,231




Stobhill


10


£14,194




Victoria Infirmary


17


£324,073




West Glasgow Hospital


18


£152,662




Yorkhill


7


£682,023




Others


2


£1,900




Total


70


£1,236,481




  Post-Trust reconfiguration 1999-2000

  


Trust


No. of Claims


Cost of Awards




North Glasgow University


21


£206,785




South Glasgow University


8


£136,092




Yorkhill


3


£6,432




Total


32


£349,309




  The data is provided on a Trust basis with some Trust returns being aggregated in order to protect patient confidentiality.

  The cost figures incorporate the cost of the award and legal costs arising from the plaintiff’s action.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any contact with Medeva Pharma Ltd regarding the availability of Betnesol eye ointment and what action is being taken to ensure the availability of this drug on the NHSiS.

Susan Deacon: Celltech Medeva (formerly known as Medeva Pharma Ltd) has advised that earlier difficulties with supplies of Betnesol eye ointment have been resolved and stocks of this product are now with pharmaceutical wholesalers.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when NHS Direct Scotland will begin operation.

Susan Deacon: A senior Scottish Enterprise Executive was seconded to the Health Department on 16 October to manage the implementation of the NHS Direct service in Scotland. Amongst his first tasks will be developing a full service specification in collaboration with national and local stakeholders. Local operation will begin when this and parallel work on, for example, the procurement of computer-based decision support software is complete.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consultation will take place before designating the location of Scotland’s three NHS Direct centres.

Susan Deacon: The siting of NHS Direct centres in Scotland has been a topic of discussion at three regional seminars held in August and, currently, at a series of meetings with local stakeholders in health board areas. Discussion to date has confirmed the view that the critical issue in choosing sites for this service will be the availability of sufficient nurses to staff the service without adversely affecting the delivery of other NHS services. This suggests that these sites are likely to be in, or within easy commuting distance of, Scotland’s urban areas.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used in designating the three "NHS Direct" centres.

Susan Deacon: As noted in my answer to question S1W-10399, discussion with national and local stakeholders to date has confirmed the view that the critical issue in choosing sites for this service will be the availability of sufficient nurses to staff the service without adversely affecting the delivery of other NHS Services.

Information Technology

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which areas in Scotland will benefit from the provision of cheap old computers as outlined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his announcement of 11 October 2000 at the UK Internet Summit.

Peter Peacock: The "wired-up communities" initiative referred to by the Chancellor on 11 October uses computers from the Computers Within Reach scheme, which is being piloted by the DfEE in England.

  As a part of the Digital Scotland initiative the Executive will develop proposals on how home-based access to the web might be facilitated for those unable to afford commercial services.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Information and Statistics Division of the NHSiS is taking to improve data collection on individuals suffering from mental health problems based in the community.

Iain Gray: Work on developing integrated mental health information has begun within the Information and Statistics Division (ISD Scotland) of the Common Services Agency of the NHS in Scotland.

Mental Health

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support mechanisms are in place for the families of young people experiencing mental health problems in the South of Scotland.

Iain Gray: Health boards, NHS Trusts, local authorities, local health councils and the voluntary and private sectors provide a range of services for people with mental health problems in the south of Scotland.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Rural Affairs will give a substantive response to my letter of 10 May 2000 regarding my constituent Mr G Gibb.

Ross Finnie: I replied to the member on 17 October.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently receiving Beta Interferon on the NHSiS.

Susan Deacon: There are 254 patients currently receiving treatment with Beta Interferon on the NHS in Scotland.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current number is of oncologists in the NHSiS and what the target number is for five years from now.

Susan Deacon: The number of consultants working in medical and clinical oncology in the NHS in Scotland is shown in the following table. The table should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  Consultants Employed in the NHSiS in Medical and Clinical Oncology

  


Medical Oncology


Clinical Oncology




Headcount


WTE


Headcount


WTE




14


11.1


40


36.3




  Notes:

  1. Source: Medical and Dental Manpower Census, ISD Scotland.

  2. Information is as at 30 September 1999 and is the latest available.

  3. Includes honorary appointments.

  4. It is not possible to identify explicitly surgeons working in oncology from the medical and dental census.

  There is no target for future consultant numbers. However, the number of higher specialist training posts available in Scotland is regularly adjusted to meet the projected number of new consultants needed to meet known retirals and local service developments. Table 1, Annex B of NHS MEL (2000) 24 details the Specialist Registrar Establishment figures for the recognised specialties in Scotland. Table 2 of Annex B details the number of these trainees who will be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in the years 2000 to 2004. A copy of this is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 7379).

National Cultural Strategy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of publication, distribution and launch of its national cultural strategy document Creating our Future, Minding our Past .

Rhona Brankin: The total costs for publication, distribution and launch of the national cultural strategy were £75,000.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all new non-departmental public bodies which have come into existence since May 1997.

Mr Jack McConnell: Between May 1997 and July 2000, the following non-departmental public bodies came into existence:

  


NPDB


Date Established




British Potato Council


1/7/97




Clinical Standards Board for Scotland 



1/4/99




Health Technology Board for Scotland


1/4/00




Learning and Teaching Scotland


1/7/00




Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction 
Awards


9/11/98




Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission


1/4/99




Scottish Further Education Funding 
Council


4/7/99




Scottish Advisory Committee on the 
Dental Workforce


1/4/99




Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland


1/11/99




  The British Potato Council supersedes the Potato Marketing Board and the Scottish Seed Potato Development Council. It covers the whole of Britain and Scotland is represented on it.

  Learning and Teaching Scotland is developing from a merger between the Scottish Council for Education Technology and the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum.

  The Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland replaces the Scottish Water and Sewage Customers’ Council.

Nutrition

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the provision of free fruit and vegetables for schoolchildren aged 3 to 12 following pilot projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow and how much it estimates such a scheme would cost.

Susan Deacon: These local projects target the specific needs of the areas in which they operate. They reflect the approach being pursued by the Scottish Executive, in its drive to encourage an increase in children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables. The Executive’s recent provision of resources from its £26 million Health Improvement Fund to all health boards is enabling them to work with local partners to introduce a range of initiatives, including the provision of fruit for infants in pre-school settings and fruit and salad bars and breakfast clubs in schools, each designed specifically to stimulate children’s interest in, and consumption of, fruit and vegetables.

Parliamentary Questions

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will answer question S1W-6361 lodged on 26 April 2000.

Sarah Boyack: PQ S1W-6361 was answered substantively on 20 October 2000.

Pensions

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding any effect upon small businesses in Scotland of implementing and running stakeholder pension schemes.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of reserved issues, including stakeholder pension schemes. As a direct consequence of a Great Britain wide consultation, businesses with less than five employees were excluded from the scheme.

Planning

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the model forms in Planning Advice note 48, on notifying neighbours of planning applications, conform with those specified in the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and, if not, what plans it has to ensure that they do.

Sarah Boyack: The purpose of the model forms in PAN 48 was to provide the stimulus for planning authorities to improve the content and layout of their planning application forms to make them more user-friendly. It is for individual planning authorities to ensure that the forms they use, or which applicants submit, satisfy statutory requirements.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving violence and aggression were perpetrated against members of the police service in each of the last five years broken down by police force, showing the percentage increases or decreases for each year and including separate figures for physical and verbal abuse, and what steps are being taken to reduce such incidents.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is not held centrally in the form requested. The following table shows the number of assaults on police officers in each of the last five years broken down by force, and the percentage increase or decrease for each year.

  

 

1995-96


1996-97


%


1997-98


%


1998-99


%


1999-2000


%




Central


262


204


-22.14


241


18.14


233


-3.32


267


14.59




D&G


174


112


-35.63


86


-23.21


47


-45.35


14


-70.21




Fife


233


233


0.00


257


10.30


55


-78.60


53


-3.64




Grampian


485


310


-36.08


259


-16.45


172


-33.59


68


-60.47




L&B


373


191


-48.79


172


-9.95


264


53.49


304


15.15




Northern


188


190


1.06


202


6.32


194


-3.96


215


10.82




Strathclyde


8,035


8,892


10.67


8,609


-3.18


8,970


4.19


8,713


-2.87




Tayside


322


330


2.48


329


-0.30


204


-37.99


276


35.29




Total


10,072


10,462


3.87


10,155


-2.93


10,139


-0.15


9,910


-2.25




  Source: Annual Statistical Returns from forces.

  The deployment and personal safety of officers is an operational matter for chief constables who have introduced a number of measures in an attempt to reduce the number of assaults. These include the introduction of the use of side handled batons, telescopic batons for officers in the CID, protective vests and CS spray. In addition, officers are trained to deal with aggressive members of the public to reduce the likelihood of assaults.

Poverty

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department of Social Security about the impact the Fund has within its general poverty strategy and in this context about increasing the funding for the Social Fund in Scotland or otherwise reviewing the Fund.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it will have into any plans for any new system of granting loans for people who have previously tried to access the Social Fund.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to any implications for its policy on poverty of the recommendation made in the report Poverty in Scotland by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee to review the Social Fund and how it ensures joint working in this area.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The operation of the Social Fund is a matter for DSS.

  As was set out in the Scottish Executive’s strategy to tackle poverty and social exclusion, Social Justice: A Scotland where everyone matters, poverty will only be successfully tackled by the UK Government and the Scottish Executive working together. The Scottish Executive will continue its regular dialogue with UK Ministers on how the Scottish Executive and the UK Government can best work together to tackle poverty through the Joint Ministerial Committee on Poverty. These discussions will cover a wide range of policies and programmes.

Residential Care

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the categories of care which qualify for financial assistance so that care by a nurse includes care by a nursing assistant supervised by a nurse.

Iain Gray: The Minister for Health announced in her statement to Parliament on Older People on 5 October that the Executive accepts the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care that nursing care should be made free in residential care. We will work closely with the nursing profession to ensure that the arrangements for assessment and delivery of care are effective and are based on need. Scotland’s Chief Nursing Officer will lead this work and is to report to Ministers by the end of the year.

Residential Care

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional funding each local authority would have to devote to the provision of publicly funded nursing home places to provide a place for every person currently on a waiting list for such a place.

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional funding each local authority would have to devote to the provision of publicly funded nursing home places to provide sufficient places to meet expected demand for such places up to the end of financial year 2000-01 in addition to places for all those currently on a waiting list for such a place.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not available centrally.

Residential Care

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently on a waiting list for a publicly funded nursing home place in each local authority area.

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a publicly funded nursing home place in each local authority area.

Iain Gray: The information requested is currently not available centrally on a consistent basis.

Right to Buy

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of a "pressured area" in relation to the plans for exemption from the right to buy contained in its proposals for the Housing Bill.

Ms Wendy Alexander: In the Consultation Paper Better Homes for Scotland’s Communities , we explained that it was intended that local authorities would be able to designate pressured areas where there are particular difficulties in meeting the demand for socially rented housing and where these difficulties have been exacerbated by the operation of the right to buy. Our intention is to identify criteria for the designation of pressured areas taking account of the responses to the Consultation Paper and the views of the Right to Buy Working Group which is chaired by my department and includes representatives of a number of relevant organisations.

Rural Affairs

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make additional resources available to voluntary groups dealing with stress in rural areas and, in particular, to those working with farmers.

Ross Finnie: The Executive gives funding to Stresswatch Scotland, which provides advice and support to sufferers of stress and their families across Scotland, including in rural communities. The Executive is also in regular contact with other bodies which help to tackle the causes of stress and promotes the services offered by these bodies. We have no plans to make additional funds available at this time.

  The Executive also helps alleviate stress amongst farmers through financial and other measures to support farming incomes; and the steps that have been taken within the Rural Affairs Department to reduce the burden of red tape within the farming sector.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much grant has been paid to the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) under section 13 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 in each year since the SQA’s establishment.

Henry McLeish: The amounts paid to SQA under section 13 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 since it took up its substantive powers on 1 April 1997 are as follows:

  


1997-98


£000




5-14 programme


743




Accreditation 


1,050




National Qualifications Development


817




Total


2,610




  


1998-99


£000




5-14 programme


816




Accreditation 


1,173




National Qualifications Development


1,843




Total


3,832




  


1999-2000


£000




5-14 programme


801




Accreditation 


1,320




National Qualifications Development


4,417




Total


6,538

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many candidates for each of the different qualifications for which the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has responsibility were affected by the recent problems at the SQA and whether any candidates are still waiting for awards due to delays in confirming their results or delays connected with the verification, accreditation, validation or any other procedures which the SQA has to carry out before awards can be made.

Mr Sam Galbraith: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Evidence submitted by the interim Chief Executive of the SQA to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for its meeting on 9 October provides the information requested. A copy of this evidence is available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. number 9330).

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to regulate landing charges for cruise liners at Scottish ports.

Sarah Boyack: Ports and harbour authorities in Scotland have a right to charge dues for ships, passengers and goods. Their general powers derive from the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 and further controls in the Harbours Act 1964 (which include giving users a right of appeal to Ministers over the level of charges). These general powers have been supplemented in individual cases by provisions in local Acts or Orders under the Harbours Act 1964. The Executive has no plans to amend this system.